Thank Q
by A.l.u.t
Summary: Q, in an effort to get Janeway and Chakotay to admit their feelings for each other, puts the two on a timeline where Voyager never gets pulled into the Delta Quadrant.


Thank Q

By: A.l.u.t

Kathryn stared down at Chakotay. She'd stopped reading to him as soon as he fell asleep. She was sure he was only asleep. She'd been watching the barely perceptible up and down movement of his hand on the cover for a half an hour now, letting it hypnotize her mind into some kind of peaceful state. Before then, she'd been reflecting on her life and his while she sat next to his bed. Both of their lives had been long and happy ones. Kathryn was ninety-three and Chakotay nearly had made one-hundred but that wouldn't happen now.

Both their spouses had preceded them years before. The former command team now took up residence in the same retirement home just outside Kathryn's hometown in Indiana. She thought back on the years of friendship they'd had together that lasted even through Chakotay's marriage to Seven and when Kathryn had wed that Admiral that was perhaps a little too young for her. Even when physical distance separated them, they stayed in constant contact and the two were never really apart but now, she was forced to realize she would have to be without Chakotay for the first time since he stepped onto Voyager as a Maquis. She smiled to herself, remembering how he used to look in those leather pants. She'd been drawn to him even then. In hind sight, she now knew their relationship had been fraught with missed opportunities for reasons that, at the distance of five decades, seemed foolish and pig headed. What did it matter, though, really? They'd ended up by each other's side, in the end, even if they never said the words.

"Kathryn." She looked up. Chakotay was mumbling in his sleep again. She took his hand and chaffed it affectionately, smoothing out the wrinkles. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled when he saw her.

"What chapter were we on?" he asked weakly.

"You mean you weren't paying attention?" she mock scolded. "I'll have to include that in my report. _First Officer has poor listening skills._"

"Give me a break, Captain," said Chakotay as he wheezed out a small laugh. "I was tired." Kathryn chuckled and squeezed his hand again. He certainly looked tired, more so than usual. She tried not to think about it. She stood and began fluffing his pillow for him and adjusting the sheets.

"Would you like some water?" she asked.

"Kathryn?"

"Yes, Chakotay?"

"I want to thank you."

"For what, dear?" she asked, smoothing out his covers. "You know I like reading to you."

"No, for everything."

Kathryn paused and closed her eyes. _I'm not ready for this yet,_ she thought.

"Chakotay…"

"Please, just listen," he said. "You gave me the peace I needed so long ago and I'm thankful you're still here with me now." She sat back down in her chair and took his hand again, trying to smile but the tears were coming of their own accord.

"You've done just as much for me," she said. "You've been my best friend through everything, even back on Voyager when we were at odds. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now."

"Good," he said. He felt a tear drip down on his hand and tried to reach up to wipe away its followers but he was too weak. Kathryn took back both his hands in hers and kissed them.

"Lie still. You need rest."

"I've left you my medicine bundle," he continued. "It's under the bed. If you ever need me from now on, you can reach me through that. Goodbye, Kathryn."

"Goodbye, Chakotay." Her face crumpled as she saw the light leave his eyes. He was gone, truly gone. The pain of it hit her square in the gut and she lay her head down on his chest and wept.

xxx

"Captain, are you alright?"

The surface underneath Janeway's hands had suddenly became hard and cold. She jerked her head up to see a very young Chakotay staring at her looking worried. They were in her ready room on Voyager.

"What just happened?" she asked, wiping away a tear or two still on her cheek. Chakotay looked confused.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I remember waking up in bed. Everything was getting darker. I was dying."

"We were old," she said, searching her brain.

"You idiots!"Janeway and Chakotay jumped and turned to face the intruder in the ready room.

"Q!" said Janeway. She and her First Officer stood and faced him with their arms crossed.

"What is wrong with you two!" Q yelled, obviously irritated. "I thought for sure a deathbed confessional would get it out of you. I even existed on your time plane for fifty, FIFTY, of your slow tedious years. I don't know how you linear beings stand it. And then in the end all you two harp on about is friendship and medicine bundles."

"What exactly are you trying to _get out of us_?" asked Chakotay.

"As if you didn't know," snapped Q. "I'm trying to get the two of you to admit you love each other. Once that happens, I'll leave you right back here."

"I love you, Commander," said Janeway, monotone.

"I love you too, Captain," said Chakotay. They both turned back to Q, not even bothering to uncross their arms.

"Oh, do you know how many times I've heard you do that?" said Q. "It really is insulting how gullible you think I am."

"How many times _have _you heard us do that," asked Janeway.

"Almost every time I've brought you back," he said.

"How many times _is_ that," growled Chakotay angrily.

"Oh, I don't know…" Q looked sheepish. "Maybe about 20 or 30 times, give or take a few. Now don't look at me like that. I always bring you right back here and never make you remember any of it. See, the last one is already fading."

Janeway and Chakotay thought for a moment. Q was right. The images they had just recalled were dwindling away like a dream on waking.

"Fine," said Janeway. "Why can't you just make us get together, let us forget everything, and we can all go on our merry way."

"No no no," said Q, agitated again. "It has to be real. I set up the scene and you both fall for each other. That's how it has to go. You two just keep refusing to do your part."

"Q," said Chakotay, eyeing Janeway. "We really don't appreciate you interfering with our personal lives…"

"Yes, yes," he interrupted. "I've heard all that too."

"Why are you doing this," asked Janeway. "There's got to be something in the universe more interesting than the love life of two humanoids."

"_Why_ is my business, Kathy," he retorted. "I'll thank you to stay out. Now where to go next? Ah! Here's a little twist I haven't tried yet!" *snap*

xxx

Janeway was thoughtful as she descended in the turbolift on her way to the cargo bay one. They'd had to turn it into an expanded brigg for transporting the large number of prisoners they'd just apprehended. She'd left Lieutenant Commander Cavitt in charge of the bridge and she'd hoped he be kind to Tom Paris. He'd done a superb bit of flying through the badlands and had been instrumental in the capture of the Maquis ship. It had been touch and go for a moment. There was a strange anomaly beyond the normal disturbance in that area that had nearly pulled both Voyager and the Maquis ship into it. Mr. Paris however, had steered them safely clear and Mr. Kim had nabbed the other ship with a tractor beam. The _Val Jean _was now under guard in the shuttle bay. She'd put in a recommendation for a lightening of Paris'sentence in New Zealand plus a good word for Kim when they got back to Earth. She knew Cavitt had his suspicions about Paris. The First Officer thought that now the former rebel's friends were in hand he might try to let them escape, but Janeway doubted it. She might even request Paris again if another mission warranted his skills.

It was her duty now to look in on the prisoners. She'd seen them for a moment, when they were first brought on board. They hadn't looked like criminals. She could easily understand how they would get caught up in the resistance. What do you do when everything and everyone you've ever loved is stripped away from you? She didn't like to think of what she would do. Janeway knew she'd never give up her duty to Starfleet, but in her heart, what would she feel if her home were suddenly ceded to the enemy?

The tattooed captain of the _Val Jean_ had especially caught Janeway's eye. He had been calm and said very little when he had been arrested but under that quiet front, she could tell there was an angry storm always waging war inside him. For some reason when Janeway had looked into his dark eyes, she felt she understood him. His glance had lingered on her for a moment too and it had felt familiar. The turbolift stopped and she shook the thought out of her head.

When the Captain got to cargo bay one,she walked down the rows, keeping a neutral expression on her face. The prisoners did not do the same. The half Klingon woman she passed had a definite look of hatred while the Bajoran woman...she actually smirked in her cell. Janeway paused and raised an eyebrow at her. If the trip were going to be a long one the Captain might take the time to remind this woman who's ship it was but concluded that it would be a waste of her energy. The Bajoran seemed to sense Janeway's thoughts and her smirk faltered a little. Satisfied, the Captain moved on. She ignored the Bolian, who characteristically kept yammering about being bored and needing to be let out and continued to the end of the line where the Maquis Captain's cell was, away from all the others.

Janeway paused before she was in sight of him. What would she be doing if the situations were reversed? She'd be pacing her cell, worrying about her crew, wishing she had a hot cup of coffee, sick to her stomach that she'd let them all down. She felt a pang of remorse for this man. _No, _she scolded herself. _This was your duty. However you might empathize with him, you have orders to follow. _Janeway sank back into her Captain's persona and stepped up to the force field that separated them.

Janeway was surprised when she saw the Maquis sitting crosslegged in the middle of the floor apparently meditating. She had wanted to speak to him but now she felt that it would be rude to interrupt. That was stupid. He was her captive. She could question him if she wanted. Still, she kept quiet. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. His expression was inscrutable. It unsettled her that she couldn't read it and then bothered her still further that she thought she should be able to.

"Where's Tuvok," he said, without moving.

"What?" Janeway said, coming out of her reverie.

"You heard me," he replied, angrily. "The Vulcan. I saw the rest of my crew when we were brought in but I didn't see him. Where is he?"

"He's in my ready room, Captain...Chakotay is it?" she answered calmly. He hadn't realized yet.

"Yes. He's been gone a long time," Chakotay said. "What are you doing to him? Has Starfleet changed that much that you're willing to torture a few freedom fighters for information? You've got us Captain. Leave us the last bit of peace we have until we go to jail."

"Is that what you think of us?" exclaimed Janeway. "I assure you, Captain Chakotay, we have no intention of torturing you."

"Alright," he said calmly, "but I'll ask you again, what are you doing to Tuvok?"

Janeway couldn't help but admire his concern for his crewman. She almost didn't have the heart to tell him.

"I should rephrase," said Janeway. "_Lieutenant _Tuvok is being debriefed in my ready room."

"I see," said Chakotay. His face became blank again and he stared at the floor. "You've been watching me for a long time."

"Starfleet has, yes."

Chakotay supposed the conversation was over but Janeway still stood there.

"What's your name, Captain?" he finally said.

"Kathryn Janeway," she replied, unsure of why she'd let him know her first name. "You're on the starship Voyager." They were both quiet for a moment and Chakotay continued to stare at the floor. Janeway found herself kneeling down to get to eye level with him. When Chakotay finally looked up at her, he saw the look on her face was that of curiosity, rather than contempt or hatred.

"Do you really think of yourselves as freedom fighters?" she asked. It was simply a question. There was no irony in her voice.

"I suppose you'd call us terrorists, traitors," he answered.

"Many in Starfleet would," she said.

"It depends what side you're on, I guess, but we never killed civilians."

"Does that matter?"

"Of course it matters," said Chakotay. "Everyone we fought was a soldier who knew exactly what the risks were. The Cardassians murdered thousands of innocent people: men, women, children, it was all the same to them. Some they tortured to death and experimented on. We never did any of that. We were fighting for our homes, our cause." Chakotay was fired up now. The bit of calm he'd gotten from meditating was gone. He turned to Janeway and tried to blame her for feeling what he did but when he saw her, he couldn't aim his hatred at her. He looked into her cool blue eyes as she knelt there and stared at him. She understood how he felt. He could tell, but her duty was hanging in the air between them and kept her from voicing her thoughts. Still, he tried to make the most of what he saw.

"Don't turn them in," he said suddenly.

"What?" said Janeway. Her sympathy disappeared immediately and she got to her feet. Chakotay stood as well. Janeway was surprised what a powerful presence he commanded even behind a force field in a cell but she held up her chin anyway and refused to give up ground.

"I'll go willingly and give you my full cooperation," he said, "but everything that was done was under my orders. Most of these people had nowhere else to turn."

"You know I can't let them go, Captain," she said sternly.

"Just think about it," he said, earnestly. "Promise me you'll think about it?" Janeway contemplated him for a moment.

"Alright, Commander, excuse me, Captain," she corrected herself. "I'll think about it. I'll be back tomorrow to tell you my decision." She knew right then her answer would be no. She could tell he realized it too but for some reason, she wanted to talk to this man again.

xxx

The Captain headed into her ready room. It was time for a more pleasant meeting. It had been a long while since she'd seen Tuvok.

"Lieutenant!" She smiled at the Vulcan, knowing full well he would not return the gesture, but was happy to see him all the same. "Glad to have you back, old friend."

"I am pleased to be back," replied Tuvok. "Starfleet uniforms are much more breathable than the customary leather worn by the Maquis."

Janeway laughed to herself. As much as Tuvok would deny it, she couldn't disabuse herself of the idea that he really did have a sense of humor.

"It's nice to see you in one," she said. "I have you stationed as head of security for the trip home from deep space, since you know these people best. What do you think of Captain Chakotay?"

"While a criminal, Chakotay is a reasonable man and has the respect of his crew. If we keep him in check, the others should follow."

"He's already offered his full cooperation for the freedom of his people," said the Captain.

"I am not surprised. What was your answer?"

"I told him I'd think about it."

"A diplomatic reply," said Tuvok. Janewayhmmed to herself.

"Is there anything else I need to be made aware of?"

Tuvok raised an eyebrow as he thought.

"Nothing about the Maquis stands out in particular," he replied. "Everything is outlined in my report."

"You said, 'nothing about the Maquis.' What's on your mind, Tuvok?"

"I'm not sure, Captain. Ever since we were pulled out of the anomaly, I have been ill at ease."

"Explain."

"Starting with the anomaly itself. I have examined sensor logs and though Mr. Paris did an exemplary job flying Voyager, it defies the laws of physics that we were able to avoid being pulled in."

"Understood, I'll examine the logs myself. Anything else?"

"Yes, Captain. I have never been aboard Voyager before, yet I feel as if I know the ship quite well."

"I suppose if you've seen one Starfleet vessel..."

"It is more than that. There were several crewmen I felt the same way about. Mr. Paris and Ensign Harry Kim."

"Mr. Paris has been in jail and this is Mr. Kim's first assignment on a starship."

"Exactly. In addition, all of these incidents have been accompanied by mild headaches."

Janeway thought hard. She chose not to offer up that she'd had a similar experience with the Maquis Captain minus the headache.

"You ought to let Dr. Fitzgerald know about your headaches," she said finally, "but come straight to me if you notice any more of these odd moments."

xxx

The next day, Janeway was sitting on the floor in cargo bay one outside Chakotay's cell waiting for the Maquis Captain to come out of his trance. She'd thought about coming back later but she wasn't sure she'd have the chance, so she waited. He opened his eyes and saw her sitting there. They gazed at each other for a moment until he seemed to 'wake up' and realize where he was.

"You seemed so far away," Janeway said."Where do you go when you meditate?"

"Nowhere at the moment,"Chakotay replied."I can't achieve a real spirit walk without my medicine bundle."

"How does that help?"

"One of the items in the bundle is called an akoonah. It allows me to enter a deep meditative state without the necessity of the drugs my ancestors used."

"Where is your bundle?"

"Still on my ship."

"What do you do on these walks?" she was a personal question but he decided to answer it.

"Seek guidance."The more human he could become to her the better. "Have you thought about my offer?"

"Yes," she said. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe I could use a little guidance myself."

"Where do you go when you need advice?"

"My officers, the computer databases," she said. "I suppose I gather as much information as I can before I make a decision."

"Is that what you're doing now?"

"Yes and no. I wanted to let you know it's your turn for initial questioning tomorrow."

"Are you going to be doing the interrogation?" He couldn't imagine having to answer to her. Somehow he felt this woman could get anything out of him she wanted.

"No, my First Officer."

That surprised him.

"Why him?"

"That's how Starfleet wanted it. I just follow orders."

"Have you mentioned my offer to him?"

"No, I'm...still considering it," she stuttered finding that she actually was. Or at least, she was taking it seriously.

"Will you be back tomorrow?" he asked.

"I probably won't be able to visit you then," she replied. "You'll be in with Lieutenant Commander Cavitt most of the day. I'll be by the next day."

"I look forward to it." He meant it.

Janeway got up and walked back down the hall between the cells. The Bajoran woman, who Janeway had learned was called Seska, smirked at her again as she went by. Janeway ignored her this time.

"So when are you moving into the Captain's quarters?" said Seska nastily to Chakotay as soon as Janeway was gone. "If I didn't know any better, Chakotay, I'd start thinking that Captain has got under your skin somehow."

"He's only trying to make a deal for our freedom," said B'Elanna Torres, the half Klingon. "Don't go screwing it up. She sounded like she was listening to him."

"She was just trailing him a long," said Seska. "The longer she holds off giving him a definite answer, the longer she thinks we'll sit patiently. I say let's make a break for it. The _Val Jean _is still in the shuttle bay. I'm sure our sensors got good readings off their tractor beam. A tachyon pulse at just the right moment would take care of it."

"You'll do no such thing," said Chakotay. "That's an order. If there's still a chance I can convince them to let all of you go legally, I'm going to try."

"Our freedom for what?" said Seska. "Even if they do let us go, whatever you say incriminates all our friends. We'll be outcasts."

"I can tell them just enough to where they think they're getting a good deal," he said, "I'll go to jail of course..."

"None of us have to go to jail if we all leave now," retorted Seska.

"How do you plan on doing that?" said Chakotay. "There are guards just outside the cargo bay and the _Val Jean _is all the way on the other side of Voyager. Not to mention the force fields holding us in here."

"I'd say those won't be a problem," said B'Elanna, stepping in front of Chakotay's cell. "How do you know where Voyager's shuttle bay is?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I just did. How did you get out of your cell?"

"Pulled off a panel. Tapped into a relay and rerouted power."

"This is a brand new ship," Chakotay said. "How did you figure it out?"

"Like you. I guess I just did." They both looked at each other confusedly for a moment.

"What are you two babbling about," said Seska as she walked up behind him. "We need to get moving. If we disable the guards, we can take their weapons, then maybe see about getting more."

"Go back to your cells," said Chakotay.

"You can't be serious," said Seska.

"I am," he replied. "Give me a little more time. If I can't accomplish a deal with Janeway then we'll break out, but for now, they don't need to know we can get into their systems."

"Fine," said Seska. "We'll go back, but the second it looks like your Captain friend is rejecting your offer, we're going ahead with the escape whether you come with us or not."

"We'll see when the time comes," said Chakotay.

xxx

"Mr. Paris," said Cavitt from the captain's chair. "Are you having difficulty following orders? I said maintain heading 246 mark 2."

"We're back on course now, Sir," answered Paris.

"May I ask why you changed without telling me?"

"There was weird subspace turbulence throwing Voyager slightly off. I could tell by the way she handled."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It was a simple adjustment, Sir," said Tom. "I just corrected it."

"Well, I didn't feel anything."

"Commander," said Harry at opps. "My sensor readings show the anomaly was there."

"When I need your opinion, Ensign, I'll ask for it," snapped Cavitt. He was getting a little tired of the uppity ensign speaking his mind whenever he felt like it. Janeway seemed to encourage it from him, and that was fine on her shift, but Cavitt didn't care for it.

Tuvok listened to the exchange with raised eyebrow. It had seemed natural that Mr. Paris make the correction himself but perhaps Commander Cavitt was simply on edge about something forgot about the incident for the moment as a brief but stabbing pain shot through his forehead.

"Is there a problem, Commander?" asked Janeway as she walked onto the bridge taking her seat back from her First Officer and tapping into her console to check systems.

"No," replied Cavitt. "No problem. We're on course for Earth. We should be there in less than a week."

"Excellent," she said. "Will you be in interrogations all day tomorrow?"

"I don't plan on it. I'm hoping that Maquis will talk early."

"I wouldn't bet on it," said Janeway. "Captain Chakotay seems like a pretty loyal man."

"How would you know?"

"I've been talking to him."

"With all due respect, Captain, Starfleet wanted me to interrogate the prisoners."

"I was never interrogating them, Commander," retorted Janeway, "and as Captain, I believe I have the right to look in on them every now and then."

"Aye, Captain," said Cavitt sullenly. "May I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why do you keep giving the Maquis a title?"

"What?"

"You keep calling him Captain Chakotay. He's a terrorist, Sir. Do you think he deserves that kind of respect?"

Janeway looked up from her panel and assessed her First Officer for a moment. It struck her, not for the first time, that he didn't seem to fit at her lefthand. She would have had Tuvok as her second in command but that wasn't possible, as he was working undercover. Maybe after they got back to Earth.

"I'm just trying to keep things civil for the ride home," she replied finally. "I'm caught up here, call me if you need anything. Lieutenant Tuvok, my ready room."

xxx

"Tuvok," Janeway said when the door was closed. "I'm going to need access to the Maquis ship tomorrow, early morning."

"You may have access to the ship anytime," said Tuvok. "There is no need to coordinate with me. I will assemble a team to accompany..."

"No," she said quickly. "That's just it. I want to go alone and Commander Cavitt needn't know about it."

Tuvok raised an eyebrow.

"Very well, Captain."

"What was going on when I walked onto the bridge?" Janeway asked. "I know Cavitt said nothing but I got the feeling there was something else."

"The Commander had just reprimanded Mr. Paris for making an unauthorized course correction."

"What kind of correction?"

"From what I can tell from sensors, it was simply to avoid subspace turbulence. It was a breach in protocol not to speak up, but the correction was of the sort that a pilot will make almost unconsciously when he is very familiar with his ship."

"I've noticed Cavitt and Paris don't get along."

"Indeed," agreed Tuvok. "I believe Commander Cavitt does not trust Lieutenant Paris."

"_Mr. _Paris. He forfeited his rank when he joined the Maquis," said Janeway, thinking of a similar mistake she'd made with Chakotay.

Tuvok looked surprised at his blunder.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I..."

"No need to be sorry," she said. "Everything about this mission has been extremely odd. I'll be glad when it's over. Please inform me tomorrow when Cavitt has gone into interrogations. I'll want to board the ship then."

"Very well, Captain."

"Dismissed Lieutenant."

Janeway remained at her desk for a while after Tuvok left. Something about this trip did seem off but she couldn't put her finger on it. She decided to put it out of her head and went to her replicator for a cup of coffee.

xxx

Janeway had an eerie feeling as she walked through the dark corridors of the _Val Jean_. It hadn't been too difficult to convince Tuvok to let her see the ship without a security team but now she almost wished she had one. The ghosts of the former crew seemed to still be lurking in the halls, angry that they were no longer aboard. She checked the padd she had with her that held the _Val Jean's _specs. The Captain's quarters should be just down the hall.

When she stepped into Chakotay's former room, she tried hard to ignore the feeling that she was intruding. The room was fairly bare and small but it seemed so personal. He had a sand painting hanging on the wall and a handmade blanket on his bed. She picked up the picture that was on the night table. It was of Chakotay and a woman with the same tattoo as the Maquis Captain. Judging by her looks, Janeway had to assume she was his sister. She thought about bringing the picture along too but decided it would be more difficult to justify it to Starfleet than what she had come to retrieve. Where would it be? She put down the frame and opened the drawer of the table. _Ah ha._

xxx

Chakotay walked slowly between the guards back to his cell after his interrogation. He was surprised how exhausted he was after an entire day of saying nothing. He hoped there would be a few rations in his cell waiting for him. Even those sounded good right now. The phrase'no comment'was still running through his head. He'd said it over and over today until it didn't sound like words anymore. Cavitt, on more than one occasion, had insulted him and tried to make him angry. It hadn't worked. In the end, Chakotay had simply stared at the far wall. He hadn't mentioned his offer to the First Officer. Cavitt was not the man to make a deal with although Chakotay was still unsure about Janeway.

The guards were none too gentle as they shoved him back in his cell. The force field was replaced and they moved off. Chakotay looked over at his bed. To his surprise, a tray with dinner on it was sitting there. He lifted the cover off of the food. Vegetable stew. He wondered at the selection, doubting that anyone had taken the trouble of reading his profile and finding out he was a vegetarian. He put his finger into the broth and then stuck it in his mouth. It was only just a little warm but it still tasted good.

"I've got to hand it to you, Chakotay," said Seska, after the guards had left. "Looks like you got to that Captain after all."

"What do you mean?"

"She dropped off the food."

"She strikes me as a kind person," said Chakotay.

"Not that kind. Do you think we all got dinner?" Seska answered. "We enjoyed a nice meal of Starfleet rations."

"I won't eat it, if it makes you feel better," he said.

"You could at least share," said Seska.

"No," interjected B'Elanna. "I think he was right before. We should stay in our cells unless it's absolutely necessary. And, Chakotay, I think you should eat the dinner."

"You want him to take a gift from the enemy?" asked Seska.

"It's not that," said B'Elanna. "Eating the meal shows trust. If there's going to be any kind of deal between them they have to trust each other."

"Fine," snapped Seska. "If Chakotay's hungry he should eat, but if it were me, I wouldn't be taking any favors from Starfleet. They won't come without a price."

Chakotay thought maybe Seska was right but decided to eat the stew. He sat down and picked up the tray to put it on his lap. From underneath it, his medicine bundle fell to the floor.

xxx

It was the Klingon, B'Elanna Torres' turn to be questioned today. Janeway had waited an hour after she was to have been brought up to head to the cargo bay. She didn't care to run into her First Officer. She knew he didn't approve of her visits to Captain Chakotay and she saw no reason to fuel the fire. Tom Paris was in the lift with her.

"How have you liked piloting Voyager so far, Mr. Paris?" she asked him. Tom seemed startled.

"It's been great," he answered. "She's a fine ship."

"Have you ever flown anything like her before?" Janeway asked.

"Not much opportunity for that where I've been, Captain," said Tom. Janeway was thoughtful. The doors slid open and B'Elanna was shoved in by two security officers followed by Cavitt rubbing his eye.

"Hey, now," said Tom. "I'm sure you don't need to be so rough with the lady."

"This woman," growled Cavitt irritably, "is no lady. She spit in my face. I'll thank you to remember your place, Mr. Paris."

"Yes, Sir," said Tom quietly, but Janeway saw him snicker to himself. B'Elanna saw it too. Shesmiled at him and he returned the glance. They seemed to stare at each other out of the corner of their eyes until Tom got off a few decks down.

"Heading down to cargo bay one, Captain?" asked Cavitt.

"I am," said Janeway. She saw no way of hiding where she was going but she wasn't doing anything wrong so why should she.

"There's nothing new since you were last there."

"I'm aware of that, Commander."

"Then why are you heading down _again_?"

"That's my business," she said. "As Captain, I am free to visit any part of my ship I wish, whenever I wish. If you disapprove of my behavior, take it up with Starfleet Command when we get back. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," said Cavitt. They were silent for the rest of the ride down. When they reached cargo bay one, Cavitt let the security officers put B'Elanna back in her cell and went immediately back up in the turbo lift. Janeway made her way to the end of the row.

"Thank you," said Chakotay the second she walked up.

"For what?" she asked, playing dumb.

"Captain, if you wanted to hide the fact you brought me my medicine bundle, you should have beamed it in."

"Alright," she conceded. "I brought it to you. It's within Starfleet regulations that prisoners are allowed to continue to follow their religious beliefs while in jail. I just hope there's not a traditional warrior's blade in there or else I might regret it."

"You didn't check it?"

"No. It seemed personal." She paused. "Actually, I didn't think to. I suppose I just trusted you." She was just as surprised as he was at her answer.

"Thank you," he said again.

"Since you know now where it came from, I should ask, how your dinner was."

"A little cold by the time I got it, but very good."

"Cavitt kept you in longer than I'd expected. He said you barely talked."

"If I'm going to try to make a deal, I can't give anything up yet, can I?"

"Did you mention anything to Cavitt about letting your people go?"

"No. Have you said anything to him?"

"No. Like I said before, Captain, I need to decide how I feel about it and if I do decide to strike a bargain with you, I'll need the support of the senior staff."

"Then why are you down here, if you haven't made a decision?" Chakotay asked her.

"I suppose I'm curious about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"An open invitation for questions? Maybe I _should_ have done the interrogation."

"Your First Officer was asking about Maquis operations and my role in them. You sound like you want to ask about me."

"I do."

"Ask away."

xxx

Janeway had been sitting in front of Chakotay's cell for almost an hour when the yellow alert went off. She swore to herself when she'd realized how long she'd been down there.

"Janeway to Cavitt, report," she said as she tapped her com.

"We're having trouble dropping out of warp, Captain. Something in Engineering."

"Janeway to Carey. What's going on?"

"I don't know, Captain," he said. Any time I enter commands, nothing happens, then they all seem to go through at once."

"Keep me apprised. I'll be on the bridge." She stood and walked quickly towards the door, but was stopped by B'Elanna.

"Captain," she said. "I know what's wrong. It's a simple problem but if Carey keeps doing what he's doing the warp field could collapse and the whole ship could break up."

"How do you know what's wrong?"

"I can tell by the noise the ship is making."

"I don't hear anything," said Janeway skeptically.

"I'm a good engineer," said B'Elanna. "My ear is tuned to that kind of thing." Janeway looked at her thoughtfully. The ship gave a small lurch.

"You should listen to B'Elanna, Captain," said Chakotay. Janeway walked back down to his cell.

"Why is that?"

"She's the best engineer I've seen outside of Starfleet and in. If she says the ship might break apart, the ship might break apart." Voyager lurched again. She looked deep into his eyes. There it was again. That familiar feeling. She decided to trust him.

"Alright," she said, going back to B'Elanna. "Janeway to security. I need a team to cargo bay one."

xxx

"What are you doing?" yelled B'Elanna, when they got to engineering. She stepped up to the control panel and shoved Carey out of the way as the ship bucked yet again. "You've got to stop entering commands!"

"What is this?" spluttered Carey looking around and seeing the guards.

"It's alright, Lieutenant," said Janeway. "Let her try."

"See," said B'Elanna. "The commands you put in are queuing up and then go through all at once when the computer reroutes them. That's why none of them are working. They're fighting against each other, trying to access the same registry files."

"What are you putting in now?"

"Nothing. I'm clearing the cache and trying to trace where the hang up is." The computer bleeped. "There. Gel pack over in that panel." She pointed behind her. "Where do you keep your tools?"

"Over here," said Carey.

"That's a stupid place," she said. "Don't they fall out all the time when you hit turbulence?" Carey stuttered but nodded. B'Elanna grabbed the tools and pulled off the panel cover. Once inside she saw a blackened bio-neural gel pack and quickly freed it from the panel.

"Got any more of these?" she asked Carey. He got up and retrieved one from storage. B'Elanna installed it and in a few seconds the ship seemed to level out. She tapped her chest then looked confused. She turned to Carey.

"Will you contact the bridge? Tell helm control to try to drop out of warp now." Carey did as he was asked and B'Elanna walked back over to Janeway a little disoriented as the Voyager eased down to impulse.

"Well done," said the Captain. "It's a shame we have to put you back in your cell." B'Elanna simply nodded as she let the security team lead her out of engineering.

xxx

"It was the strangest thing," said B'Elanna, once she was back in cargo bay one. "I got down to engineering and I knew exactly what I was doing."

"That _is_ strange," said Seska, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ha ha, very funny," retorted B'Elanna. "The point is, I've never worked on a ship like this before and bio-neural gel pack technology is brand new but I replaced one like I'd done it a hundred times. Everything about this place just seems so..."

"Familiar," finished Chakotay. "I know. I've had the same thoughts."

"So what does all this mean?" asked B'Elanna.

"I don't know," said Chakotay, "but it could be to our advantage."

"I don't feel anything familiar," said Seska. "Not anything I like anyway. If you two somehow think you know this ship, why don't we use it to break out? I'm getting tired of waiting around for your Captain friend to make up her mind. She's only got a few days left to make a decision."

"Give it time," said Chakotay. "If I push too hard, she'll say no on principle. I think she's pretty stubborn."

"You seem to know her a little too well for someone you've only talked to for a few hours total, unless there's something you're not telling us."  
>"Just trust me on this one, ok?" he answered. "If she turns me down, I'll lead the break out myself."<p>

"I'm holding you to that," said Seska.

xxx

It was the last night before Voyager reached Earth and Janeway was about to turn the bridge over to Cavitt. She'd been visiting Chakotay in the cargo bay for the last few days and they had talked about what seemed like everything: family, growing up, their experiences at the academy, why he joined the Maquis in the first place. She felt she needed to get to know the man before she made up her mind. Janeway felt closer now to this Maquis Captain than she'd felt to anyone in her life but she couldn't just let his crew go. She could, however, try presenting his case to Starfleet.

From the time she spent with him she'd come to understand that he was really a good man, simply fighting for his home. He'd kept his crew honest, for the most part. She thought it might work. It was him Starfleet wanted after all; one of their own gone bad. They'd make an example of him for sure, but he was ready for it. Now all she needed was the support of her senior staff. Starfleet would never go for it if members of her crew were against her. She had Tuvok already. Cavitt would be more difficult. Janeway finished up what she was working on at her panel and got up.

"Commander Cavitt, I'd like to see you in my ready room." Cavitt nodded and followed her in.

"How did interrogations with Captain Chakotay go?"

"Poorly," responded Cavitt, eyeing her questioningly, "but you know that from my reports."

"I believe we can still get him to cooperate," said Janeway.

"Does it matter? We're almost to Earth. We can turn them over to Starfleet and then it's not our problem anymore."

"You know as well as I do that he won't talk to them either."

"What are you getting at Captain?"

"Chakotay has offered to make a deal. His cooperation for the release of his crew."

"Are you saying he expects us to just let them all go?" exclaimed Cavitt. "They're criminals!"

"I don't intend to simply turn them loose," she said. "That's out of the question, but I intend to present the proposition to Starfleet and I need your backing if they're going to consider it."

"I don't think I could in good conscience do that, Captain. They'll probably just go rejoin the Maquis. I'm sure Paris would if he were given the chance."

"Maybe we could rehabilitate them."

"That's what jail is for!"

"Commander," said Janeway. "I saw some real talent in some of those people. Tom Paris, for example, is a fine pilot and I have reason to believe that B'Elanna Torres is an exceptional engineer. I hate to see all of that wasted. We ought to give them a chance."

"With all due respect, Captain," said Cavitt, "our mission is to arrest these people and bring them in but you're talking about them like they're your...your children who got sent to the principal's office. They are terrorists. They deserve to be tried and go to jail. I can't support you on this."

Janeway let out a huff in exasperation.

"Understood, ."

Cavitt nodded and walked out of the room.

xxx

Chakotay paced in his cell. By his count tonight was their last night on board and he hadn't seen Janeway all day. He'd thought for sure she'd come down one way or another.

"Let it go, Chakotay," said Seska. "She's not coming. I thought for sure she'd tell you to your face, but it looks like she was an even bigger coward than I realized."

"She's not a coward," he replied, thinking of how, when he had tried to appear his most menacing, the tiny woman had looked him in the eye and not backed down. True, there was a force field between them, but it wouldn't have made a difference had there not been.

"You're still so trusting," scoffed Seska. "You would think after so many years operating in a resistance cell you'd learned the proper amount of skepticism. It's time to forget about her. In a few hours we'll be within hailing range of Earth and it will be too late. We need to act now while we still have time to get away."

"She's right," said B'Elanna. "If we wait too much longer, even if we were to take Voyager itself, we'd have half of Starfleet on us. We can't fight our way out of that."

Chakotay thought hard. They were both right. He'd just been so sure…He was about to give the order to go ahead with the break out when the cargo bay door opened. Was it her? All the Maquis were silent. Chakotay got as close to the force field as he could to try and see down the hall between the cells. He heard several pairs of feet coming but the light footfalls of the diminutive Captain were not among them. Two armed security officers stopped in front of his cell.

"Come with us," said one of them as he lowered the force field. Chakotay stepped out and walked down the corridor. She hadn't come. He might be under lock and key tonight but his crew wouldn't be. He nodded subtly at B'Elanna as he walked by. She would now be in charge of the break out once he was well out of the cargo bay.

"Where are they taking him, do you think?" asked Seska.

"Maybe Janeway finally made up her mind," said B'Elanna.

"Well, I'm not sitting here waiting to find out."

"No," replied B'Elanna. "We're not. He gave me the go ahead when the guards were taking him out. I think he's guessing Cavitt wants one last word with him."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" asked Seska.

"Nothing," said B'Elanna. "Disable your force field like I showed you but reroute to the next path over. When the gel pack went down, the computer didn't put everything back right. I imagine Carey is still trying to clean up the mess." She turned off her own force field and went in front of Seska's cell.

"It's not working," said Seska.

"You're doing it right."

"I'm doing what you told me, but it's not working." The other Maquis were having the same trouble.

B'Elanna pulled off another panel on the outside of Seska's cell and rearranged some wiring.

"Carey must have blown a relay when he was trying to get the systems back up. I'll have to go down to engineering and fix it."

"You're just going to leave us here?"

"Well I'm not going to sit here and wait for the guards to notice I'm out in the hall. I can't fix it here. What do you want me to do?"

"Fine. Go. We'll all keep trying too. You'd better hurry. Like we said before, we don't have a lot of time."

xxx

Cavitt sat on the bridge in a foul mood. He supposed he should be happy they were almost home and he could be off this ship. His interrogations with the Maquis leader had gone poorly and now he realized it was because of Janeway. Of course Chakotay hadn't talked. He'd been holding out for something. Cavitt had rather liked Janeway when he came on board and he didn't really mind that she'd seemed to pick Ensign Kim as a favorite almost the moment the mission started but he was now starting to resent her and what he called _her crew. _The bridge was full of them at the moment: Kim on opps, Tuvok on tactical, Paris on the conn. He felt it odd he seemed to be surrounded by rivals on his own bridge. But it wasn't his bridge, he reminded himself. It was most definitely hers.

Dr. Fitzgerald, the Chief Medical Officer, didn't seem to like Voyager either. Cavitt had read report after report of odd things popping up in the medical databases: opera, poetry, extensive files for holo-slideshows, not to mention the obscene amount of space the EMH was taking up. The engineers had worked in sick bay almost as much as they had engineering but had been unable to open or delete any of it. The ship would likely be in dry dock for weeks trying to get it sorted out. Cavitt decided that if it was, he'd put in for a transfer. Janeway wouldn't mind, he thought grimly. Sometimes he thought maybe she'd rather have that Maquis in his chair rather than him. Cavitt vaguely wondered if she realized just how much she talked about the rebel captain.

"Mr. Paris," said Cavitt. "How much longer until we reach Jupiter station?"

"Just a couple of hours," said Tom.

"Lay in a course," said Cavitt. "I want to pay a visit to Zimmerman and see if we can't purge the EMH program. It's taking up too much space in sick bay."

"Aye, Sir," said Tom. A loud grunt came from tactical.

"The Doctor," sputtered Tuvok and he collapsed on the ground holding his head and writhing in pain. Harry ran over to him. "Sick bay..."

"He needs help," Kim said. "He's asking for a doctor."

"Take him, Mr. Kim," said Cavitt. "Paris, help him, but come right back. I'd rather have you dock us when we get to Jupiter Station."

xxx

B'Elanna had disabled the guards outside the cargo bay in short order. She'd left all but one of their weapons outside the cells for the other Maquis but she had little hope they'd break out on their own. She needed to get to engineering but she was making slow progress. It was late and there were few people in the corridors but she kept having to hide every time she thought she heard someone. Now she was creeping past some crew quarters, hoping everyone was in a deep sleep. She froze when the door she was almost directly in front of slid open and the officer she had seen in the turbolift stepped out into the hall. She tackled him back into his room, figuring she'd have to knock him out and detain him somehow so he wouldn't sound the alarm.

B'Elanna wondered a little bit at his chivalry. As much as she viciously punched and kicked him, he refused to hit her back. He tried to get a hold of her as they wrestled around on the floor but it was no good. Before long she was on top of him, straddling him and holding his hands above his head. She looked down at him and he stared up at her, both of them breathing heavily. There was something familiar again about those baby blues. She'd seen it in the turbolift and it hit her forcefully now. Without thinking about what she was doing, she leaned down and bit him in the face.

"Woah, whoa, whoa," said Tom. "You aren't going through the Pon Farr by any chance?"

"Of course not," said B'Elanna sitting up, releasing his hands. "That happens to Vulcans. I'm Klingon."

"In that case," said Tom, "as long as you know what you're doing." He pulled her back on top of him and kissed her hard. She pulled away at first but then growled happily and kissed him back.

xxx

Chakotay was surprised when the guards deposited him in Janeway's quarters.

"I'm sorry, Captain," Janeway said after the security officers left. "I tried getting support for the deal you offered but it didn't work." Chakotay nodded.

"Why am I here?" he asked.

"I wanted to tell you in person," she said. She paused and looked around at the table. It was set for two. "And…I thought maybe…you'd like a nice supper before we reached Earth."

Chakotay's eyebrows went up. What was more peculiar about this moment, beyond the fact that a Captain was inviting a prisoner to dinner, was how _natural_ it felt. He slid into his seat.

"Thank you, Captain."

"I hope you like mushroom risotto," she said, dishing out the meal.

"One of my favorites."

"I took a wild guess. Or maybe you'd mentioned it once…" It seemed like he had.

"I don't remember." He didn't think so.

"Either way," she replied, "I'm glad you like it." Kathryn tried to keep the conversation light but small talk was hard to come up with when she had so much else on the forefront of her mind. Eventually it petered out and they ate in a thick silence. Kathryn was frustrated with herself. This was the last time she'd likely be talking to him. It was foolish to leave important things unsaid.

"Chakotay, I really did try to get the senior staff on board," she burst out finally. "I had Tuvok but Cavitt wouldn't agree."

He put down his fork and stared at his plate. He believed her and was touched she had honestly attempted to help his people.

"You know," Chakotay began quietly, "in the beginning, I offered myself up in exchange for my crew as a sacrifice. Now I can't think of anything I'd like more than to be turned over to you."

"If only things had been different," said Janeway.

"Yes, Kathryn," Chakotay said. "I think we would have been good friends."

"I like when you call me Kathryn," she replied holding up her hand. Chakotay slipped his into it and gently rubbed it with his thumb. He looked at her longingly for a moment. If he didn't do it now he'd never have another chance. He made up his mind and leaned in for the kiss, come what may.

xxx

"Glad I decided to stop by my quarters before I went back to the bridge," said Tom as he lay in bed with B'Elanna on his shoulder. She gave a short laugh.

"Oddly enough, I am too," she said. "What made you ask if I was going through the Pon Farr?"

"I don't know? It just came out."

"You were a member of the Maquis?"

"A few years back."

"And we've never… met?"

"No," said Tom. "I would have remembered _you._" B'Elanna sighed.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Besides that I'm supposed to be breaking my crew out of jail and I paused to have a roll in the hay with an enemy officer?"

"Do you regret it?"

"Not at all, but we need to get going."

Tom hesitated.

"You're not going to turn me in now, are you?" she said, sitting up.

"I don't know," said Tom. "Are you sure breaking your people out is the right thing to do?"

B'Elanna jumped up and started putting her clothes on. Tom did the same.

"Are you going to go all Starfleet on me? I guess you're going to run back up to the bridge and let Cavitt know you've got a Maquis trapped in your quarters."

"Cavitt hates me," retorted Tom. "I guarantee once your crew is out he'd have me arrested whether I was with you or not. He as good as accuses me of still being one of you every chance he gets."

"So prove him right," she said. Tom looked confused. "Come with us. What do you have to look forward to on Earth besides going back to jail? You've got nothing to lose."

"I don't think I can do that either."

"So are you just going to hide in your quarters until all this blows over?"

"No," said Tom slowly. "I think we should go to the Captain."

"Out of the question." B'Elanna picked up her phaser and moved towards the door.

"B'Elanna, listen," he said. There was something about how he said her name. He went on, "Don't you think that there's something just…weird about this whole situation?"

She turned back around. She'd felt that way since the moment she'd stepped on board Voyager.

"I don't mean to toot my own horn," he said, "but I'm a good pilot. There's something about me and this ship that just fits, like I've flown her for years but you remember that anomaly we encountered in the badlands?"

"Yes."

"Well, I did my best, but it's physically impossible that we got out of that."

"What are you saying?"

"That we should be on the other side of that thing."

"I'm not interested in trying," said B'Elanna. "What if it killed us all?"

"I don't think so," said Tom. "Don't try too hard to understand it. Just _feel_ and you'll see what I mean."

B'Elanna tried to do what he said. She thought about what had happened to her in engineering, and things Chakotay had said. Her eyes strayed to Tom's combadge as she recalled the time she tapped her chest for seemingly no purpose. And finally she thought of Tom's blue eyes staring up at her with that wicked little grin she knew she'd seen before. She looked up at Tom and by the expression on her face, he understood she'd come around.

"Where do you think Janeway is?" she asked.

"We'll find out. Computer, locate Captain Janeway."

"Captain Janeway is in her quarters."

"We should probably bring Chakotay in on this," said B'Elanna. "He noticed a few odd things too."

"Is he in the cargo bay still?"

"I think Cavitt dragged him in for one more round of questioning."

"No," said Tom. "Cavitt's still on the bridge."

"Computer," said B'Elanna, "do you still have the transporter pattern for Maquis Captain Chakotay on file?"

"Affirmative."

"Can you use it to locate him?"

"Affirmative. Maquis Captain Chakotay is in the Captain's quarters." Tom and B'Elanna gave each other a surprised look.

"I knew they were getting along," she said, "but I didn't think it was that well."

"We didn't do too bad ourselves," snickered Tom as they headed into the corridor.

xxx

Janeway sat up sharply. At first Chakotay thought he'd made a terrible mistake until he saw she was not in fact looking disapprovingly at him, but staring at their interlocked hands. Her eyes turned to him.

"We've done this before," she said, wrinkling her brow.

"What?"

"Not here exactly, but this moment. It's happened before. Don't you feel it?" Chakotay realized he did.

"This isn't the first time I've had déjà vu," he said. "When I first came on Voyager, I felt like I knew you."

"I thought the same thing about you," she stood up and began pacing around the room. "Tuvok noticed odd familiarities as well. He also mentioned that it was nearly impossible that we got out of that anomaly."

"Remember when you called me Commander," said Chakotay. "I would never have noticed if you hadn't corrected yourself."

"And your crewman knowing the ship's systems," said Janeway.

"What if we were supposed to get drawn into that anomaly?" asked Chakotay.

"Maybe we did at one point. It would make sense that if we were all pulled into distant region of space that our crews would have had to work together."

"That explains why you and I seem to trust each other," he reasoned. "Do you think we skipped over to a different time line?"

Janeway groaned and rubbed her temples.

"You hate temporal mechanics," Chakotay said. It wasn't a guess or an assumption. As he said it, he'd known it was pure fact. Janeway looked at him and knew it too. There was no doubt in either of their minds now that there was something else going on. They didn't belong there, where ever it was.

"Let's go find Tuvok," said Janeway and she started for the door. Chakotay didn't follow.

"Shouldn't you call the guards?" he asked. She looked him up and down thoughtfully.

"You just said we trusted each other. Should I not?"

"What do you think?" he asked tentatively. Janeway searched inside herself. Deep down in her core she found that she knew this man and at some point in their existence together they had been close. _How close? _Close enough that no amount of dimension jumping could obliterate their bond. It was enough for her.

"I trust you. Let's go."

xxx

Janeway had guessed that Tuvok would have been in his quarters by now but he wasn't there. She had not wanted to go to him on the bridge since she had Chakotay with her and as they walked quickly through the corridors, she was considering sending him back to her room. They hadn't met anyone so far in the halls and were getting apprehensive. They rounded a corner and ran smack into Tom and B'Elanna. All four of them froze, each couple staring at the other, deciding what to think. It was B'Elanna that spoke first.

"Chakotay, remember how we thought something weird was going on?" she said. "Now I'm sure of it. I've worked on this ship before, and I know him."

"We felt the same thing," said Chakotay.

"Captain, I agree with B'Elanna too, and I have a theory," said Tom. "I know this is gonna sound weird, but you gotta trust me on this one."

"Try me."

"I don't think we were ever supposed to get out of that anomaly."

"Believe it or not, Mr. Paris," Janeway said,"I think you're right. Tuvok said something similar. Any idea where he is?"

"He's in sick bay," said Tom. The group jumped as a red alert went off.

"That'll be the rest of the Maquis breaking out," said B'Elanna.

"What do we do about them?" asked Tom.

"I have a feeling if we get back through that anomaly everything will correct itself," said Chakotay.

"Let's go to Tuvok," said Janeway."Whatever is wrong with him probably is the key to what's going on."

xxx

Janeway, Chakotay, Tom, and B'Elanna all ran into sick bay. Dr. Fitzgerald glanced up briefly but didn't have time to comment on the motley crew that had just come in. He was busy trying to restrain Tuvok. The Vulcan was flailing wildly on a bio-bed and still calling for the Doctor. Harry was there, trying to help but was doing no good.

"What's going on?" asked Janeway.

"Lieutenant Tuvok collapsed on the bridge," said Harry. "He's been yelling for a doctor ever since. We can't get him to understand there's a doctor right here."

"Fitzgerald, what's the matter with him?"

"I don't know," he replied, eyeing the Maquis in the room. He wanted to say he suspected their involvement but decided against it. "I've given him a strong sedative but it isn't helping."

Janeway stepped up to Tuvok. He looked up at her. She was encouraged that he appeared to recognize her and everyone around him.

"The Doctor," he sputtered out.

"Dr. Fitzgerald is right here, Tuvok," she said kindly. He shook his head slowly, clearly in pain.

"No," he looked around until his eyes settled on B'Elanna. "Torres! Get the EMH on line!" Tuvok collapsed with his last effort, digging the heels of his hands into his forehead.

"The EMH?" said Fitzgerald.

"B'Elanna," said Janeway. "If you can do it, do what he says. Nothing is going to surprise me at this point."

B'Elanna moved over to the sickbay console and began working quickly.

"There're too many lock outs on this thing," she said. "Almost got it, though. There. Computer, activate the Emergency Medical Hologram."

The Doctor materialized in sick bay wearing an opera costume with one hand in the air and his mouth open. He looked around confused. Dr. Fitzgerald looked even more confused.

"What the hell?" he said. "Who reprogrammed the EMH?"

"What happened? Is there an emergency?" The Doctor punched a few buttons and he was back in his uniform. He looked around and saw Tuvok in distress.

"Tricorder, Mr. Paris," he said. Tom, to his own surprise, reflexively grabbed one and gave it to him.

"Now wait a minute," said Fitzgerald. "I've already examined this man and I'll not have and errant EMH program…."

"Excuse me?" said the Doctor, finally taking a real look at his surroundings. "What are you doing in my sick bay?" He said to Dr. Fitzgerald.

"_Your_ sick bay?"

"Commander Chakotay, why are you and Lieutenant Torres in Maquis clothes and B'Elanna, why are you not pregnant? How long have I been off?"

"Pregnant!" exclaimed Tom.

"Well you should know," retorted the Doctor. "It's your baby."

"Wait, what?" saidB'Elanna. The Doctor looked around again.

"I see what's going on," he said, annoyed. "You'd think someone would check the holodeck before they just start their own program. Computer, deactivate Insurrection Alpha scenario."

"No program exists by that name," answered the computer.

The Doctor looked even more confused. He aimed the medical tricorder at Tuvok again and then at the rest of the people standing in sick bay.

"Ah, that makes sense," he said. "I need 100 ccs of Inaprovaline."

"That's too much," said Dr. Fitzgerald.

"No," said the Doctor. "I need that much to stabilize Tuvok's synaptic pathways to compensate for the temporal displacement. Don't worry. He's become more resistant to Inaprovaline since his last Pon Farr. The extra dose won't kill him."

"Temporal displacement," muttered Fitzgerald.

"If you don't believe me, scan them too. They're all showing signs."

"What's wrong with Tuvok," asked Janeway as the Doctor administered the medicine and Tuvok relaxed into a deep sleep.

"From what I can tell," answered the Doctor, "he's been trying to access his memories from other timelines and they're reacting poorly with the current one. I have him stabilized for now but we'll need to figure out exactly what happened if I'm to treat him further." Janeway opened her mouth to speak but they were all distracted by someone opening the sickbay doors.

"Why am I not surprised?" Seska had come in. She held a plasma rifle and had a group of armed Maquis behind her. She walked up to Chakotay and sneered at him. "We've taken the bridge without your help. I thought I was coming down here to rescue you."

"Seska," said Chakotay. "There's something else going on that we're trying to figure out. We're on the wrong timeline. We're not supposed to be here."

Seska looked around her.

"I think I like this timeline. I'd rather not go to one where I'll be captured."

"Seska, just listen," said B'Elanna.

"You know," said Seska, frowning. "I think there _are_ a few things I don't like. You two traitors for instance." Seska aimed her rifle at B'Elanna and fired. B'Elanna fell to the ground. She turned to Chakotay and shot him as well.

"You bitch!" yelled Janeway. Just as the Captain jumped at the Maquis, Starfleet security showed up in sickbay. Starfleet and Maquis alike dove for cover as everyone fired wildly. One shot hit a holoemitter array and the Doctor went out. Janeway was hit and fell to the floor next to Chakotay. He turned his head towards her. They were both barely alive. Her hand sought his and found it, squeezing it tight. He returned the pressure.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sure if we would have gotten back..."

"We were friends there," said Janeway. "I know it." Her eyes closed.

xxx

Chakotay and Janeway blinked as they realized they were again in her ready room.

"Congratulations," said Q."This is the first time you figured out you were on a different time line. Too bad you would have gotten everyone killed."

"How did we figure it out?" asked Janeway.

"Does it really matter?" said Q, "Maybe I'm just not good at defining parameters. I don't pay enough attention to detail. I know. I'll use someone else's parameters instead." *snap*

xxx

Janeway and Chakotay stood on a high hill that overlooked Kathryn's childhood plantation home. It had been made whole again with Chakotay's money after the war had ravaged it. The sun was setting, painting the sky with beautiful oranges and reds.

Q stood behind them admiring the scene and then frowned.

"No, they didn't end up together," he said to himself. *snap*

xxx

Janeway stood on a balcony gazing down at Chakotay in the moonlight.

"Double suicide, too messy." *snap*

xxx

Chakotay held Janeway tightly around the waist and pinned her to his enormous belly. Janeway guessed by their garb that they were put down in about the early 1500s. She lifted a finger to wag at Q, but paused as she noticed she had an extra one.

"Beheaded," sighed Q. *snap*

xxx

Janeway clung to the breastplate of Chakotay's suit of armor. The two looked up startled as Mark Johnson, wearing a crown, burst into the room.

"Lancelot!" Johnson yelled.

"Forgot about him." *snap*

xxx

Janeway, Chakotay, and Q were suddenly on the bridge of the Enterprise-D.

"Q!" bellowed Jean-Luc Picard.

"How'd he get here?" *snap*

xxx

"Don't you humans ever let your lovers be together?"

Janeway and Chakotay sat up quickly as they found themselves naked in a bed made up with red satin sheets and a velvety black blanket.

"Q!" said Kathryn, pulling the sheets up tighter to cover herself better.

"Oh don't worry," said Q with a wave of his hand."I didn't make you do anything. I just got frustrated, is all." *snap*

xxx

They were all fully clothed and back in the ready room.

"Q, that's enough," yelled Janeway. "I'm sick and tired of this game you're playing. You may be able to snap your fingers and give me back the time you're wasting but my patience is about gone."

"Kathy, why oh why can't you understand," lamented Q. "How can I explain it properly to you?" *snap*

xxx

Janeway and Q were standing at the edge of a misty runway. Chakotay was near a 1940s style plane a short distance off. All three of them wore fedoras and trench coats. Q gazed down at her sadly.

"Kathy, we'll always have the continuum," he said,"but if that plane takes off and you're not on it..." Chakotay walked up behind them.

"Wait," he interjected."Are you trying to tell her you're in love with her?"

"You're supposed to wait by the plane," said Q. *snap*

"What are you saying, Q?" asked Janeway, annoyed. "You're _not_ in love with me, are you?"

"Well, if you must know, Kathy," he said, "I am."

"What?" she exclaimed. "I thought we'd been through this. What about your counterpart? I thought you went back to her."

"I did," he said. "And you made me realize it was the right thing to do but it was then I understood that the feelings I have for her can never equal what I have for you."

"So then why are you doing all this?"

"I suffered when I realized I couldn't have you but then I saw you were suffering the same way and now I'm trying to spare you the intense pain I felt."

"Q, I'm sorry, but I don't have feelings for you."

"Must you rub it in?" he said. "Of course you don't, but you love him."

"We're friends and I do love him, but not like you think. You don't know the first thing..."

"I do too. I'm omnipotent, remember?Now, what to try next."

"Q," said Chakotay, who had walked up again. He looked at Janeway, who, though she hid it well, he saw was in considerable emotional distress. He was concerned for her. "Will you just end this? We have a ship to run."

"Is that all you care about?" said Q.

"Of course not," said Chakotay. "I care about her too. She's my friend and you're hurting her. I want you to stop."

"You two and that F bomb. I'm tired of hearing it. Kathy you're in a time out. Here's all your memories. Sit here and think about what you've done. It's your turn now mister." *snap*

xxx

"This is ridiculous," said Chakotay, when he and Q appeared back in Janeway's ready room. "Will you just bring her back here and leave us alone?"

"No. Not until you admit you love each other."

"I do love her."

"You're not fooling me with that..."

"No, Q," said Chakotay. "I'm _in_ love with her. I have been for a very long time."

"And do you think she loves you?"

"I know she does."

"Then why can't you two just tell each other?" yelled Q, exasperated. "Share a moment, make out a little for pete sake."

"Because she doesn't want that," answered Chakotay. "You complain all the time about having to be linear when you visit us, well, we're stuck that way. We can't simply snap our fingers and change our situation. Right now, our situation is that it's best that Kathryn and I remain friends, only."

"But if you love each other..."

"That's still there, of course."

"But then why..."

"Let me put it this way," said Chakotay. "All the things you are trying to make us do are only representations of the feelings themselves. I know plenty of people who have a relationship and tell each other _I love you_ all the time, but there's no real love between them. On the other side of the coin, Kathryn and I love each other, probably more deeply than most people ever find, but aren't free to express it. That doesn't change what's there."

"I still don't understand. If you love her why not just be with her?"

"I told you. She doesn't want that. She thinks it's wrong. If I talked her into it, it would hurt her and she would only resent me later."

"That makes no sense."

"You claimed to love her too," said Chakotay. "Would you ever do anything to hurt her?"

"Of course not," said Q.

"How is she doing right now," asked Chakotay quietly.

"Oh she's fine. She's just in a time out. She's..." Q used his finger to tear a hole in the continuum with a ripping sound. His head disappeared as he stuck it through to check on Kathryn. "She's crying." Q's expression was a little guilty when his head reemerged in the ready room.

"Let me go to her," said Chakotay.

"Will you tell her you love her?"

"No. That will only make it worse."

"Fine. Go. You won't remember this in the next scene anyway."

Chakotay walked through the rip in the continuum and sat next to Kathryn. She was weeping uncontrollably.

"Don't cry," he said, as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't let him see he got to you."

"I can't help it," she spluttered out. "I remember _everything._Years and years of heartbreaking memories. Do you know how many times you've died? And I never... Maybe he has a point but we can't..."

"I remember it all too," he said, "and do you know what I've learned?"

"What?"

"That in every scene, even the ones where I'm a criminal and you arrest me, we've always managed to earn each other's respect and become friends and we've always managed to hold to our principles. No matter what Q's put us through, he hasn't been able to change us or our relationship. Only we hold the power to do that, Kathryn."

She slowly got control of herself again and smiled up at him.

"You always give me strength, Chakotay."

"That's what I'm here for."

"Promise me we'll always be friends."

"Through one scenario or one million."

The two stood, smiling at each other, waiting for Q to make his next move.

_Well, that's just disgusting,_ thought Q to himself, buthe had to finally admit he saw their side. There was just one more thing he had to do. *snap*

xxx

Kathryn and Chakotay were sitting at their table on New Earth. He had just finished telling her a story.

"Was that really an ancient legend?" she said.

"No, but it made it easier to say."

Kathryn was touched. She held up her hand and Chakotay gently slid his into it. They looked tenderly at each other for a moment until they both slowly leaned across the table to share a soft and deep kiss.

xxx

"What happened?" asked Janeway? She and Chakotay were standing in her ready room.

"I'm not sure," he said. "Q's been here. I feel it."

"Me too. When is it?" she asked next.

Chakotay went to the monitor on her desk.

"Stardate...Eighteen hundred."

"That sounds about right," said Janeway. "But it seems like we've been away a long, long time. Do you remember anything?"

"No, just..."

"Chakotay, Kathy..." Q's voice echoed in the ready room, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Please consider it a gift." They stared at each other in confusion. Q was causing them to vividly remember all their time on New Earth and they both understood they were reliving the same memories.

Chakotay and Janeway smiled at each other as they realized the tiny portion of the timeline Q had allowed them to change. They couldn't recall anything that he had put them through, but deep down in their gut, they knew that the revised moment felt right. Janeway smiled to herself.

_Thank you, Q._


End file.
